The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, has said the ministry is primarily focused on the vulnerable population and has empowered the aforementioned group through a variety of means, including the Conditional Cash Transfer, “which has helped close to 2 million households, with over 90% of recipients being women.”
Speaking Tuesday in Abuja after receiving an award from an international organisation, Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up (DUSUSU), Farouq said that, under her purview, the ministry has made a conscious effort to mainstream gender considerations and ensure that women are enabled to be change makers in their immediate communities and beyond.
She said: “There are very few occasions in the course of one’s mission where one is able to pause and take stock of what one has achieved. This event today, where Ms. Zuriel Oduwole and her DUSUSU Foundation have chosen to honour the modest work of my humble self and my Ministry, clearly provides one such occasion.
“The Gender Minister Award may, at first glance, seem surprising to be awarded to myself as the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. However, taken as a whole, along with all the programmes under my purview, we have made a conscious effort to mainstream gender considerations and ensure that women are enabled to be change makers in their immediate communities and beyond.
“My work and that of my Ministry are primarily focused on the vulnerable populations in Nigeria, across all regions, religious, ethnic and tribal lines. It is well known that the most affected of the vulnerable populations are women and children and it is our mission to empower these sections of the population through a variety of means, including economic buffers like the Conditional Cash Transfer, which has helped close to 2 million households, with over 90% of recipients being women.
“We also provide grants, for example the Cash Grant for Rural Women and training and skills development through the N-Power Scheme, which has provided training and jobs for over One Million and Seven Hundred Thousand (1.7 million) young Nigerians, many of whom are women. We provide micro-loans and credit schemes through our Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and incorporate women along the entire supply chain of our National Home – Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP). Our programmes are focused on interventions to provide a sustainable pathway out of the cycle of poverty the poor and vulnerable Nigerians find themselves in.
“One clear-cut path to sustainable development for all is through education, in recognition of which the UN SDG4 aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education”. In appreciation of the fact that many vulnerable populations are unable to access available opportunities for education on account of their location, socio-economic factors and/or socio-cultural barriers, my Ministry provides the Alternate School Programme.
“Through this programme, we seek to provide educational opportunities to Out-of-School-Children in their locations, while simultaneously providing them buffers against challenges that impede their ability to access formal education; for example, daily feeding for them when they are being educated by us, and Conditional Cash Transfers for their indigent parents to facilitate their active participation in the scheme. The Alternate School Programme is very much aligned with the ethos of your DUSUSU advocacy efforts in advancing alternate global education for girls all over the world in ways that can benefit them.”
She added: “I want to sincerely thank the DUSUSU team for your abiding commitment to bringing key issues to the fore, and for your resilience in bringing change to fruition. In order for the desired change to occur, it is important for all of us in our various roles to ‘Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up’ as the acronym of your foundation’s name states. And with your films and your untiring advocacy efforts that have seen you traverse the globe, you have certainly done just that.
“What is so remarkable about your impressive journey, beyond your young age, is your unmistakable clarity of purpose. You have commendably sustained a firm commitment that only seems to grow with time; to advocate for those unable to do so for themselves; for speaking truth to power; and for having the courage to reimagine a future where all children, irrespective of gender and, by extension, race and circumstance, can all access the opportunities the world has to offer.
“As you already know, effective and impactful partnerships drive change, and I am thankful to my partners within the Ministry and those outside of it who continuously help to bring about the change I am committed to make.
“It seems appropriate to remind all of us to always keep in mind that the individual work we do in our respective roles and collectively together has an impact far beyond ourselves. Through our collaborative efforts, and with a spirit of sincere cooperation, we can and shall continue to change the lives of millions of our fellow countrymen and women for the better.
“To paraphrase a part of the DUSUSU philosophy, “with both eyes, we see clearer; with both hands we lift higher; and with both legs we run faster”. It is my earnest hope and desire that we remain committed to the hard work ahead of us as we continue to forge ahead in the days and years to come.”
